The term “firearms” designates long guns which in contrast to pistols comprise a muzzle brake.
Such firearms also include all kinds of weapons, as e.g., rifles, blow/hack operated weapons, or gas operated weapons, pump action rifles, and assault rifles.
The invention will be described by means of the example of an assault rifle of the brand “Steyr AUG 77/A”, although the present invention is not limited to the latter.
It is known to equip firearms with a silencer, wherein such a silencer either is screwed onto the end of the gun barrel, or it is as for the MP5 SD or the AWS an inherent part of the weapon.
The silencer exclusively reduces the sound emission, which emanates during a gunshot from the highly pressurized gases expanding explosively from the muzzle. The mechanical noises of a possibly existing reload automatism and the loud bullet report from the projectiles, which are fired with supersonic speed, on the other hand remain unaffected.
Further, the silencer also suppresses the muzzle flash such that there are advantages during night missions when using night observation devices.
For example, it is known from DE 10 2005 005 595 A1, DE 198 15 467 A1, or DE 42 31 183 C1, to screw a silencer onto the screw thread at the front end of the gun barrel of the weapon,
A plurality of firearms are equipped with a muzzle brake, as, in particular, it is known for an assault rifle “Steyr AUG 77”.
The muzzle brake is a device at the barrel of such firearms, which uses the energy of combustion gases to reduce blowback of the barrel. Muzzle brakes mostly are used with automatic cannons and artillery pieces, more rarely, however, with firearms.
The muzzle brake consists in a known manner from one or more deflector plates mounted in front of the pipe outlet, which are fixedly connected to the pipe. The deflector plates have an opening for allowing a bullet to pass through, the diameter of which is 1.1 of the bullet gauge.
Immediately after the bullet has left the pipe, the pressurized combustion gases of the propellant exit from the pipe, and thereby, partially collide with the deflection plates of the muzzle brake. They are deflected perpendicular or even slightly bent backwards by the deflection plates, and thereby transfer a part of their energy to the muzzle brake, and thereby to the barrel. The energy of the combustion gases acting in the shooting direction, due to the collision with the muzzle brake, counteracts to the blowback directed backwards and reduces the latter.
Up to now it is not known to additionally equip firearms, which have a muzzle brake with the properties mentioned above, with a silencer.